Australia play South Africa this weekend in Pretoria and Ashley-Cooper, who has started all four of their matches in the Rugby Championship so far, is adamant that the camp are paying Cooper's outbursts no attention.

"This won't be a distraction for us," Ashley-Cooper said. "There's a great buzz in the squad and we're excited to be here. We've had two good wins in this competition and we feel we're building as a group."

Australia have won their last two matches in the Rugby Championship with victories over South Africa and Argentina but coach Deans is under pressure due to their poor record against trans-Tasman rivals the All Blacks. Australia have a lengthy injury list at present - similar to the Boks - but Ashley-Cooper is trying to take the positives out of the situation.

"The Springboks are facing similar challenges to us with a lot of injuries and having to give opportunities to younger players," Ashley-Cooper said. "They are coming off two disappointing losses so they'll be pretty motivated and we expect it to be really tough to win in Pretoria on Saturday.

"Playing there is always pretty tough, you're usually up against quality opposition and a hostile crowd that they feed off. Plus the altitude and the pace of the game there means it's always a challenge. A win is something we've never achieved before in Pretoria ... so there's a lot of motivation for us."

In related news, hooker Stephen Moore has returned to Australia due to a hamstring injury. James Hanson is likely to replace Moore on the bench for the Wallabies against the Springboks.